Bourbon Spice Layer Cake & 7 Years of Probably This!!

It’s really really hard to believe we’re here, but we’re here! Seven years ago, this blog started kind of on a whim. I really couldn’t tell you exactly how Probably This became our entire lives, and our livelihood, but it did, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it or the community we’ve fostered and friendships we’ve built along the way.

Back then, we were still very much so Figuring It Out when it came to… well, everything. The blog. Each other. Life. You name it, we didn’t know how to handle it. All these years later and, while every day is still a what-the-shit-is-happening adventure, I feel like we’ve gotten a bit of a grasp on things. It’s been incredible to share all of that growth with you, our online friends who come hang out for a minute or two, or more, or less, and take what you need and leave what you don’t. Finishing college, navigating post-graduate messiness, countless new apartments, road trips and plane trips and first-times-to-Europe, three months of #vanlife, hundreds of recipes, buying our first home, getting engaged… it’s all been documented here and on our other little online places, and we’ve been supported by y’all through it all.

So, thank you. Thank you so much for taking interest in what these two Louisiana boys are up to, and we’re so elated at the idea of continuing to share all of *gestures to everything* with you. Because even though we’re seven years in, it somehow feels like we’re still just getting started.

To celebrate this blog birthday we made the recipe that was in our very first blog post (and gave it a few adjustments to make it less complex and more delicious!). That first blog post is very cringe and so I’m not even going to link it here, but you can still find it and read it and be like wow what happened to you guys, if you’d like. But instead, I recommend looking at the pretty photos below and even giving this recipe a try. It’s the perfect autumn-spiced treat to enjoy at your friendsgiving or other holiday get together, or if you no longer have any friends (it happens!), it is wonderful enjoyed all alone.

Bourbon Spice Layer Cake

makes 2 (9”) layers | takes 1 hour + inactive cooling time

for cake

1/3 cup bourbon

1/3 cup cane sugar
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons nutmeg
1 tablespoon allspice
2 cups dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 cup buttermilk
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla

for frosting

½ stick butter, softened and at room temperature

1 lb confectioner’s sugar, sifted to remove lumps
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup bourbon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350º and grease up your pans.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, make the clove syrup by combining the bourbon, cane sugar, cloves, and 1/3 cup of water—bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes on low and set aside to cool. Strain out solids before using.
Sift all dry ingredients (cake flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice) into a bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer will do), beat the brown sugar and eggs on medium speed until fluffy, usually about two minutes. Fold in the orange zest and ginger.
Add half of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and beat to combine, about 30 seconds on medium speed. Add buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla to this mix and beat again to combine. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix on low, scraping down the bowl to make sure everything has been incorporated.
Fill your cake pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly crumb-free. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.
If slicing into four layers (see notes), do so once cooled. Spoon or brush the clove syrup evenly onto your layers.
Make the frosting. In a stand or hand-held mixer, beat the butter on medium speed for about one minute, until it’s gotten slightly fluffy. Add the confectioner’s sugar and salt and mix on low while slowly pouring in the bourbon, scraping the bowl as necessary. Mix in the vanilla. Beat on medium-high heat for two minutes until fluffy.
Fill each layer with icing, pour yourself a little glass of bourbon or oat milk, and enjoy.

Notes

I prefer to slice these layers laterally using a bread knife to create four thin layers and an ideal crumby surface area for the glaze to soak into. If you want a two-layer cake or to just keep it simple, you can skip this step and brush the syrup on top of each layer without slicing.